Amit Malviya Cites US Filings to Claim Pakistan Mounted Major Lobbying Push After Operation Sindoor

BJP leader Amit Malviya on Thursday launched a sharp attack on what he described as “Pakistan apologists,” citing US government disclosures to claim that Islamabad made an extensive lobbying effort in Washington following India’s Operation Sindoor last year.

Sharing details on X, Malviya said documents released under the United States’ Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) revealed the scale of Pakistan’s diplomatic outreach after India’s military action. “This is bad news for Pakistan apologists,” he wrote, asserting that Operation Sindoor had “shaken Pakistan.”

According to Malviya, Pakistani diplomats contacted senior officials in the US administration, lawmakers, the Pentagon and the State Department nearly 60 times in an effort to prevent escalation and push for a ceasefire. He said these engagements included emails, phone calls and in-person meetings conducted from late April through the conclusion of the four-day operation.

The BJP leader further alleged that Islamabad spent heavily to gain access to the US political establishment. “Pakistan, seeking to pause Operation Sindoor, spent approximately ₹45 crore to hire six lobbying firms to secure rapid access to the Trump administration,” he claimed.

Malviya also criticised domestic voices that questioned the government and the armed forces during the operation, calling for those who doubted India’s military response to be identified and exposed.

Earlier reports, citing documents accessed by News18, said the lobbying disclosures were filed by Squire Patton Boggs (US) on behalf of its foreign principal, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The filings reportedly show that Pakistani diplomats and defence officials reached out more than 50 times to US officials, intermediaries and even sections of the American media during the course of the operation. A separate investigation by The New York Times had earlier reported a sharp increase in Pakistan’s lobbying expenditure in April and May.

Operation Sindoor was launched by India in response to a Pakistan-sponsored terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. On the nights of May 6 and 7, Indian armed forces carried out precision strikes on terror camps at nine locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

During the operation, India deployed a range of advanced and indigenous capabilities, including precision-guided missiles, long-range stand-off weapons, AI-enabled intelligence and targeting systems, satellite- and drone-based real-time surveillance, and an integrated air-defence and counter-drone network. The strikes targeted terror infrastructure linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba in areas including Bahawalpur, Muridke, Muzaffarabad and Kotli, while deliberately avoiding civilian and general military installations.